"Golgo 13" (2008) TV series 2008-2009

Directors:

Mitsuru Nasukawa
Masahiro Takada
(more)

Writers:

Takao Saitô (characters) and
Kazuyoshi Takeuchi (character design) (2008)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

April 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Duke Togo, a.k.a. Golgo 13, is a highly-skilled assassin hired only by those who pay top-dollar for his services - whether it's the FBI...

Plot Keywords:

Assassin | Target | CIA | FBI | Pain

Cast

Chris Ayres	...	Dave McCartney (10 episodes, 2008-2009)
Rob Mungle	...	Regan (10 episodes, 2008-2009)

Series Directed by
Mitsuru Nasukawa		(unknown episodes)
Masahiro Takada		(unknown episodes)
Shunji Ôga		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Kazuyoshi Takeuchi		(unknown episodes, 2008)
Takao Saitô		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Susumu Matsuyama	....	producer (unknown episodes, 2008)
Ikuhiro Ohtsuki	....	associate producer (unknown episodes, 2008)
Jun'ya Okamoto	....	associate producer (unknown episodes, 2008)

Series Original Music by
Seiji Suzuki		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Kentaro Takahashi		(unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Keiko Kai	....	color (unknown episodes, 2008)
Aiko Shinohara	....	color (unknown episodes, 2008)

Production Companies

• Answer Studio, The
• Golgo 13 Syndicate
• Saitô Productions
• Shogakukan Production
• Sotsu Agency
• TV Tokyo

Distributors

• BS Japan (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Section 23 Films (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Sentai Filmworks (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• TV Aichi (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Hokkaido (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Osaka (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Setouchi (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Tokyo (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Company (2008) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• Marvy Jack  art
• Studio Cab  post-production facilities
• Studio Easter  art

Runtime:

Japan:30 min (50 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating) | South Korea:18 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:TV-MA

Company:

Answer Studio, The

Trivia:

According to various Japanese Anime/Magna Comic historians, the significance of Duke Togo's alias "Golgo 13" and the symbolism of a skeleton wearing a crown of thorns is this: Both refer to the "13th" Roman Soldier to take part in the crucification of Jesus Christ. Specifically, the 13th soldier is the one who put the crown of thorns on the head of Christ. "Golgo" refers to the hill of Golgotha where Christ was crucified.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although some episodes are set in the United States, American characters often use European measurements like "kilometers" and "celcius". Also, road signs are drawn the European fashion rather than American styles such as round "halt" signs (rather than octagonal "stop" signs) and speed limit signs measured in "kilometers" per hour (rather than "miles" per hour).

Movie Connections:

Spin off from Golgo 13 (1973)

Very good; almost as good as the manga.

"Golgo 13," while being my favorite comic book character (although he is not likable; after all, he's an assassin), has not for the most part received very good, faithful screen adaptations. For the uninitiated, Golgo 13 is the alias of Duke Togo (also, probably an alias, but people seem to know his name routinely), the world's deadliest assassin and foremost sharpshooter. Now, TokyoTV has made a very faithful, beautifully rendered, decently animated animated series based on the long-running manga. I would recommend this for fans of manga/anime, comic books, and assassin/action movies and even mysteries. The episodes are self-contained and even non-linear, much like the comics. Catch this sweet show on the video-hosting sites, someone is in the process of translating them all into English, Spanish, and French.